Tire.



J. R. GAMMETER.

TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1911.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

/NI/ENTORS J. R. GAMMETER.

TIRE.

APPLIOATIvON FILED JULY 8, 1911. 3957,232, Patented Mar.25,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

JOHN R. GAMMETER, 0F AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOB, :BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE B. F. GOODRICH COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TIRE.

Application filed July 8, 1911.

Specication of Iietters Patent.

of Ohio, have invented certain new and.

useful Improvements in Tires,of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to improvements in tires and more particularly to `tires of the pneumatic type designed for use iny connect-ion with motor vehic es.

As is well understood by those skilled in the manufacture and use ofsuch tires, they are subjected to severe strains and the givingaway of a relatively small part or mem*l ber places undue strain and tension upon the other component elements, resulting in the destruction of the tire, or at least materially shortening the life thereof.

The main object of the present invention v relates primarily to the production' of -a tire wherein the strainsand' stresses will be the same, or substantially the same', throughout the body thereof, and, furthermore, to building up the tire in such manner/that the cords which compose the main body struc- 'eture will be so positioned, with reference to each other, that they will mutually sustain and brace one another and Work together to take up the strains.

Asa resultof the relative, positioning of the cords, as will be hereinafter set forth in detail,`there is` produced an ineX-tensible tread. which insures goodI driving qualities,

the strain bein-g,distributedv all varound the tire, and not localized, which' localization places a drag upon that point ofthe tire which at the moment is restingl upon the ground. Again, owing to .theinterlocking of the cords at the tread and the making of the upper ply to one side of thevr center the under ply onthe other, a further advantage' is secured in that there is produced what may be termed a hinge or hinge action at such point which makes the tire ride more easily than would otherwise be the case. Furthermore, lthis interlocking of the cords tends to equalize the tension upon those cords which may be adjacent to any cord which may give` way under strain,` or in other words, the added strain due to such mishap is not localized but is evenly distributed throughout an appreciable area adjacent to such disrupted end. Such interlocking will, moreover, unless the disrupt-ion takes place immediately'at the point of interlocking, maintain or holdthe remaining good or unaffected portion of the cord intact in its` pro y er working and effective position with re erence to the other cords, and thus it will be seen that .the danger from disruption is minimized by half in each cord of the structure.

`Some of the forms in which my. invention may be embodied are illustrated in the annexed drawings, wherein: y Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sectionof the tirel body, t-he usual outer layers of relatively heavy rubber or leather, or both, being omitted for-the sake of clearness; Fig. 2 a plan view of the outer face thereof, the body being shown as flattened out; Fig. 3 a transverse sectional view on the line 3-8 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 an enlarged 'detail' viewy illustrative of the manner in which the cordsare interlaced or interlocked at the .tread of the tire;Fig. 5 a plan view of a modified form ofthe invention; and Fig. 6 a detail view of a few of the threads at the tread portion, showing the manner in'which they are interlaced. i

Referring first to thec'onstruction illustrated in Figs. l to 4 inclusive, it will be seen that the tire body is composed ofl a plurality of superimposed layers or plies of cord, two plies in the construction show-1r, one plybeing composed of a series of cords 1, while the other is formed of a series of cords 2. The ends of the cords terminate at t-he edges or sides of the tire and in the present instance are shown as embracing beads 3 and 4 of any approved type.- The cords of eachply, lbetween the edges of the body, or between the beads, may be sa-id'to be laid up or positioned so as to assume a A-shape, the cords of one ply extending in a direction the reverse of that in the other, with the cords of one ply interlocked With those of the other by interlacing the cords of the various plies/at the center or tread portion of the tire. This interlacing is most clearly illustra-ted in Fig. 4, wherein it will be seen that the cords l pass under and then over the reverse position obtains. This interlacing and consequent, interlocking of the cords produces at the center line of thetire tread two series of cross loops, bightsi' deflected portions 5 and 6, which lie in substantlal parallelism, and almost at right angles to 'the longitudinal axis of the tread; and it is such arrangement and disposition of the cords that produce what may be termed a hinge connection between the sldes of the tire.

The cords will be laid up close together Aand rubber cement will preferably be applied thereto as the tire is formed, the cords 1 forming\the outer ply at the left of the tire and the under ply at the right,

while the reverse is true of the cords 2.

The ends of the cords, or the edges of the plies formed by the cords, will be carried around the beads 3 and 4 in the manner best shown in Fig. 3, the ends of the cords of the outer ply overlying the cords of the in-` V ner ply, though, of course, the reverse condition may obtain.

Suitable strengtheningy strips 7 formed from bias rubber-treated Ifabric, will be laid upon-the innerface of the tire adjacent to the beads, the strips being graduated in 'width, and the upper edge of the widest then lpasses to the other bead, which, in ef.

feet, means that each cord is divided into two shorter cords or sections each one half I thelength of the complete cord.l

If it be assumed that a cord, starting from one beadv and passing at an angle across the tire to the-other bead without being interlocked or bent into a A-form is twelve inches long, that same cord when interlocked at the center line of the tread be` comes in effect two cords, each of which is :six inches long. `.A tire has distinctly greater strength ift-he cords are short the fact being that a short cord is less likely to break than a long one. With the present structure there is produced what may be termed a series of short cords'or a series of long ends so tied together as to produce a:

series of interconnected short sections. ,It follows, therefore, that if one of the cords breaks at one side of the center, the other part or section of that cord which is on the other side of the center line is stillin such condition ,that it will continue to do its work,"and the tire is not so much weakened as it would be if the cord extended freely for its full length from sideto side of the tire. Again, in order, to make a tire. as strong as possible, greatercare is always devoted to laying the cords in such a wa that the various cords are under the tsame egree of tension, so that all the cords may work together to take up the strains. No matter how carefully the cords are laid, there will be some inequalities iny tension, and some cords or strands of fabric will be weaker or have more elasticity than others, so that even if they were originally laid at an equal tension, the tension becomes unequal as the result of the strains and stretching to which they are subjected in use. Now if the cords are made short or subdivided into short sections, as herein set forth, itl is easier to lay them under equal tension, and there is less stretch to each cord, so that there is less resulting inequality of tension. And further,

the present form has the very marked advantage that the inequality of tension and l stretch are better taken up and compensated for than in other tires, because of the fact that one end of each half cord or cord/ section terminates in the interlocked portion'at the center line of the tread which is not an absolute and rigid` line, whereas in other tire structures of which I` am aware each end of the cord is rigidly held at each bead,

so that if a cord stretches it becomes looser as a whole between its two fixed ends.

In the present form of construction, if a cord stretches between a bead and the center line of the tread, because of some difference in quality or otherincidental cause, it merely means that theftread, at suchportion, tends to become a little more slack, but this slackness is taken u by the various other cords that arepulling at that point in various directions, and the interlocked bights 5 and 6 shift slightly, with the result that the tension of all the cords lequalizes and the cords work together again. Thus the present form of construction cornpensates Vfor inequality or irregularity in placing of the cords in the fabric, and for irregularity in quality orstretch of thecords.

-In Figs. l5 and 6 a modification of the invention is illustrated, the main difference residing in thefact that :the plies lie in the same plane throughout, that is, the same ply a pears 'as the'outer ply to both sides of t e tread of the tire, and the other ply remains as the inner or under ply throughout.v The outer ply is composed of a'series of cords 8, which ,as in the other form are laid close together in a series'of As and extend from edge to edge of the tiret The under or inner ply is composed of a similar series `of lcords 9 laid in a reverse direction to those` of the outer ply and crossing the cords thereof at substantially right angles, the cords of the two plies beinginterlooped, as at 10, at the center of the tread, as clearly shown inl Fig. 6. This interlooplng of the two series of cords, and the factV that each loop lies close to the adjacent loops and thereby tends to bind the same, roduces a fabric similar to the structure be oreiset forth and possessing, though perhaps not to so markedl a de-V grec, the various advantages as above set orth.

It'will be understood that, as above noted, the cords will be covered with a solution of rubber of the proper consistency, and that the outer body of the tire will be placed on the structure as above produced and the whole cured -or vulcanized to form a finished tire.

Having thus described I claim 1s:

1. A tire composed of a series of relatively short cords arrangedside by side in my invention, lwhat a plurality. of superimposed plies, the cords,

extending across the tire at anl angle, the cords of one* ply being arranged atan angle to those of the other, and the cords of one ply being likewise interlooped and \interlocked at the center of thetread portion of'the tire with the cords of the other ply, whereby veachzcord maybe said to be subdivided into 4two sections, and a'hing'e forrrie'c'l'at the tread portion of the tire.

beads, sai .rality of superposed plies, each ply being 2.*In a tire, thecombination of two beads; and a bod7 portion interposed .between said body being composed of a plu formed of a I,seriesof co'rds laid side .by side in substantially A form,'.and having their ends secured (to the beads, the threads of o-ne asv ply running in adirection the reverse `of those of the other ply, withthethreads of the two plies interlocked `by being" interlooped at' the center of the tread portion.

3. In a tireythe combination oft-wo beads; and a body portion interposed between said beads, said body being composed of` a plurality of superimposed plies, each ply -being formed of a series of cords laid side by side in substantially A form and having-their ends secured to the beads, the cords of one ply being arranged reverselyof thoseof the other, andbeing interlooped Yat the center ofthe tread with the cordsl ofthe other ply, the cords' ofone ply' lying outside on one side vof said vinterlooped portion and below upon the other side thereof.

4. In a tire, the combination of a plurality of superimposed plies, l each ply being-comthe cords of the plies interlooped at the center of the tire tread, said `looped portions lying crosswise of the tread at substantially right, angles thereto.

1. A tire composed of a plurality of plies formed. of cords, the cords of .the said plies being interlo'clied only at the zcenter of thetire tread,- whereby `each cord in effect is subr'divided into two sections. v

Vof each plyA being laid side by side, and extending across the tire at an angle, with 7.' -A tire composed ofv a plurality 'of su# i perimp'osed cords, said cords being interlocked at their midlength only,'.the bodies of the cords of-.on 'e -layer and to' each side i of the interlock-edl portion. extending across the bodies of the other layer at an angle.

^ 8. In a tire,.the combination of a pair of beads; and a plurality. of 'superimposed plies, each ply being composed of a series of cords laid up side-by 'side in A form, the

cordsof one ply extending in -a direction v.the lreverseof those in the other, the cords of' .the -two vplies being interlooped and thereby interlocked at their center, with the cords of one ply appearing uppermost at' one side lof said interlocked section and innermost 'at the other side, the normally free ends of the cords bein carriedaround and held in engagement wit the beads.

- In testimony `whe1`e r f I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. p

JOHN R. GAMMETER.

Witnesses: v l

WALTER MEHUS, P. AITKEN.I 

